Shiromanta

It's just more of the same as the book treads water on all its romantic relationships -- and one of them is a creepy flirtation between a grown woman and a boy in his early teens.

And with the number of holidays being celebrated each volume, I"m getting confused as to how many years have passed since volume one or if the book is just locked in a timeless limbo à la Archie Comics or Donald Duck. (I also think it's telling that I immediately thought of kids' comics as equivalents for this show more series ostensibly about adults as its characters are so childish.)

The series is cute enough that I don't anticipate stopping it anytime soon, but my grumpiness about its status quo is growing. show less

Fluffy, empty calories, but I could pop these back all day long.

I do worry sometimes that the leading lady is infantilized so much and so often that it is going to seem pervy if big romantic developments ever do occur.

The slow pace and slice-of-life aspects cause this series to teeter back and forth for me. This volume rushes through a year of little happening to get us back to Valentine's day again only to zip past that also.

The cuteness of the characters couldn't overcome my frustration with their stalled will-they-or-won't-they romances. And I'm not liking the direction the storyline about the crush the small teenage boy has on the twentysomething woman is starting to take.

Here's hoping next volume show more gets things back on track, but I"m worried it's just going to let things hang in the current limbo longer than my patience can endure. show less

Valentine's Day and a summer festival with fireworks are cliched, sure, but they add just enough sizzle to this slow will-they-or-won't-they tease of a romance to put a smile on my face. Plus we have the lesser seen Setsubun and Obon traditions for a little variety.